My bugbear with the acrylics is that they dry so much darker, some brands are a lot worse than others. I had terrible skin tone problems on a portrait of Einstein. My local art teacher kept on insisting on mixing the skin tone for me (GRRRRR!) and then telling me I should have followed his advice when Einstein ended up looking as if he had been born a native of the Indian sub-continent! Time after time. He hated acrylics himself, but wouldn't admit he didn't know what he was doing. He's not my art teacher any more either! Actually, his watercolour, oils and drawing advice was pretty spot on. The only problem was his arrogance with acrylics! I'm going back to complete Einstein soon, using a different brand and less potent colours... as soon as the weather cools. At the moment it's so hot here that, even using the open brands, the paint almost dries on the brush before you get it to the canvas, lol. I don't paint in oils because I'm allergic to most of the solvents. Actually most of the time I don't mind the fast drying time of acrylics. It means I can absent minded rest my arm on the painting without messing it up... sometimes!

My bugbear with the acrylics is that they dry so much darker, some brands are a lot worse than others. I had terrible skin tone problems on a portrait of Einstein. My local art teacher kept on insisting on mixing the skin tone for me (GRRRRR!) and then telling me I should have followed his advice when Einstein ended up looking as if he had been born a native of the Indian sub-continent! Time after time. He hated acrylics himself, but wouldn't admit he didn't know what he was doing. He's not my art teacher any more either! Actually, his watercolour, oils and drawing advice was pretty spot on. The only problem was his arrogance with acrylics! I'm going back to complete Einstein soon, using a different brand and less potent colours... as soon as the weather cools. At the moment it's so hot here that, even using the open brands, the paint almost dries on the brush before you get it to the canvas, lol. I don't paint in oils because I'm allergic to most of the solvents. Actually most of the time I don't mind the fast drying time of acrylics. It means I can absent minded rest my arm on the painting without messing it up... sometimes!

There's a product for acrylics (who's name escapes me) which is transparent and you mix it in your paints to extend the open time.

I don't do well with solvents, either. I don't use them. Most of my oil paints are 'M. Graham' which have a Walnut Oil base. If I need to thin paint I'll use Liquin or some Walnut Oil.

To clean brushes I'll either use a dish washing soap [Dawn in the US] which biologists will use to clean oil fouled birds or Murphy's Oil Soap[TM].

I've been reluctant to move into water soluble oils because I'm told they still have an odour and Ive never met anyone who uses them so that I could take a cautious test sniff. I'm actually allergic to linseed oil, more than the other solvents (although they aren't good either). I actually like the acrylics, and, Nolan, I am moving into Atelier and finding the colour shift less noticeable. I'm currently trying to do your brilliant introductory lesson of Strawberries, but not getting far due to a combination of hot weather and not so good health at the moment. Even with Atelier, the paint still dries pretty fast, and drips of mixed in with the paint don't help. Summer extremes are probably more suited to watercolour.

Val might have a few problems getting real strawberries in the Caribbean/tropical South America, Stoney, but yes I am very fond of them, and yes, I might even eat the painted ones! Thanks, Nolan. I'll try that small patches idea. Val, so far I love the Atelier, but I will keep you posted.

Actually Linley, nary a day goes by in Guatemala when you can't buy strawberries! Strawberries with breakfast, strawberry smoothies, strawberry margarita's, strawberry daiquiris, strawberry..... you get the idea Not so easy to get in Belize though.

You do Nolan's strawberries in acrylics..... and I'll try it in pastels! Deal?

Val, when you are ready to try acrylics, you might enjoy fluid acrylics. Golden has an enormous colour range, and you can always thicken them with gel if you want to paint impasto (or so I've been told - I've yet to try them for an actual painting. Atelier has a range of fluids too (High flow) but not as big a range of colours, and might be hard to locate in your situation.